Danger-indicating device for highways



` June 2s, 1925. 1,543,539

E. M. WRIGHTSON DANGER INDICATING DEVICE FOR HIGHWAYS Filedllanl 5, 1925gmmwco@ 557mm vjury to the same,

PatentedJune 23, 1925. .y

ELSIE M. WRIGHTSON,

or Momma, ALABAMA.

DANGEBf-INDICATING DEVICE FOR HIGHWAYS.

Application led January 3, 1925. Serial No. 398.

To all whom t may con/cem:

Be it known that I, ELsIn M. WRIGH'rsoN, a citizen of the'United States,'residing at' Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Danger-Indicating`Device for Highways, of which the following is'a specification. Thepresent invention relates to an indicatingmeans and and improvedstructure positioned on highways for warning vehicles approachingdangerous points, such as railroad crossings, sharp turns, vor likeplaces that should be approached with caution, the indicating meanscomprising a series of graduated ridges constructed and suicientlyspaced to rst warn the occupants of a vehicle by imparting avery slightshock, suiici'ently easy to slow down a vehicle without doing insaidfirst shock being followed by a series of shocks, each of which is timedto permit the operator of the vehicle to slow down before reaching thenext,

each successive shock being a little'more effective in slowing down thevehicle, all of which yare given in ample time to permit the4 operatorto slow down or stop before reaching the point of danger. V Itis also anobject of the invention to provide an indicating means of the kind abovereferred to, which is simple and silbstantial in construction, which canbe constructed economically, and which will be thoroughly eiicient andpractical in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will be apparent asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction andarrangement of parts, y.as

- hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changescan be .madewithin he scope of -what is claimed, without de- 1 partingfrom the spirit of the inyention.

The inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein: l

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved indicating meansarranged on a highway adjacent a railroad crossing.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of the highway, and

Figure 3 is a similar fragmentary view.

in carrying out the invention as illustrated in ,the drawing, the letterH desigt nates a highway crossed by railroad tracks T, both being on thesame level and comprising what is commonly termed as a grade aims toprovide a novell crossing. The railroad tracks are illustrated as anexample of a point offdanger along a highway, although it is'to beunderstood that my improved indicating means may be placed at any pointon the highway where the same becomes treacherous or dangerous.

On each side of the tracks T the highway is concreted or built of a,like material, as indicated by the letter C, a sufficient distance topermit the placing of a series of ridges or what might be' termed speedbrakes R,

terial and placed on roads now in use. The

4which may be built in the road while the ridges or brakes R are spacedfromeach other a suiicient distance to permit an operator to slow downhis vehicle before approaching the neXt ridge, said ridges beinggraduated in height so as to impart more severe shocks to the vehicle asit approaches the point of danger... Thus it can be seen that a means isprovided for easily and graldually slowing down the speed of a ve- 1ce.. I

The first ridge l approached by a vehicle I is a very easy one whichimparts a very slight shock to the vehicle, sufficient enough,

however,.to cause the driver thereof to check up the speed thereof' andremind him to look ahead and proceed cautiously. The second ridge 2is sospaced from ridge 1 that the same will be readily observed by theoperator, his complete attention having been directed to the road by theridge 1` said second ridge being of higherconstruction than the firstridge 1 the same will compel the. operator to proceed even more slowly.After passing ridge 2 another ridge of,still higher/construction will beobserved by the operator, forcing him to slow ldown still more, reducingthe speed of the vehicle to almost a complete stop in order to cross thesame without doing injury to his vehicle; At this point the operator canobserve in either direction whether or not a train is approaching anddetermine if it -is safe to cross the track.

rThe ridges R `extend across the entire widthof the highway in order toprevent the operators of vehicles from running on the wrong side of thehighway in order to dodge passing over said ridges or speed brakes.

\Should it be desired, the rid es or brakes may be painted attractive coors, making them more noticeable to approaching vehicles. For example,ridge l could be painted yellow, ridge 2 green, and ridge 3 red, orWhatever colors would be the most ei?- 5 ective for slowing downvehicles.

it can he seen that my improved danger indicating means will graduallyWarn the operator of a vehicle that he is approaching a point of danger,Without unbalancing or unnerving the operator Which might canse him tolose control of the vehicle.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new is:

l. ln combination with a vehicle high- Way having a point of dangerthereon, of means arranged on the highway adjacent said point of dangerfor imparting Ya series of shocks to a vehicle approaching said point ofdanger, said means being gradu- 2@ ated te cause greater shock .as thevehicle u approaches nearer the point oijdanger.

2. In combination with a vehicle highway having a. point of dangerthereon, of means arranged on the highway adjacent said point of dangerfor imparting a series of shocks tev a vehicle approaching said pointor' danger, j said means being so arranged that the shocks Will beimparted at spaced intervals sufficient to permit the operator of avehicle to slow down the vehicle after each shock before the saine isgiven another shock.

3. ln combination` with a vehicle high- Way having a point of dangerthereon, of

neaaeee ,a series of ridges arranged en the highway adjacent the pointof danger :for parting shocks to a vehicle passing thereover, saidridges being arranged so that the shocks will he imparted at spacedintervals suiicient to permit the operator of avehiele L to slow downthe same after each shock before another shock is given.

4. In combination With a 'vehicle highway having a point of dangerthereon, a

series of ridges arranged on the highway` ,as it approaches nearer thepeint of .(langer,

said ridges being so spaced apartes to permit the operator'to slow downthe vehicle before the same engages another ridge.

ln testimony whereof, I have aliixediny signature inthe presence of twoWitnesses.

ELSE M. WRlGHTSN. Witnesses: y

, M. CARPENTER,

U. L. BRIGHT.

